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Buell S1 White LightningYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 4 owner complaints and 6 safety recalls on record for the Buell S1 White Lightning.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints4Top: Engine and engine coolingSafety recalls61997–1998 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Buell S1 White Lightning years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the S1 White Lightning median. Tap a year for its full report.

'97'98
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
1998Not rated–/1004 complaints · 6 recalls1997Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall
Complaints by system

Most common Buell S1 White Lightning problems

All model years combined: 4 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling10
Power train10
Service brakes, hydraulic11
Suspension10
6 recalls

Buell S1 White Lightning recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Tank assembly: mounting99V-104 · 1998 · May 6, 1999 · 10,556 vehicles–Storage: tank assembly99V-105 · 1998 · May 6, 1999 · 12,321 vehicles–Suspension: rear99V-106 · 1998 · May 6, 1999 · 8,950 vehicles–Rear: shock absorber99V-107 · 1998 · May 6, 1999 · 8,950 vehicles–Unknown or other99V-097 · 1998 · Apr 29, 1999 · 10,255 vehicles–Suspension: front99V-086 · 1997–1998 · Apr 26, 1999 · 5,208 vehicles
1 investigation

NHTSA investigations of the S1 White Lightning

  1. THROTTLE FAILS TO RETURN TO IDLEPE03043 · 1997–1998 · closed Oct 30, 2003
    Led to recall 03V-427